Marketing and Managing your Small Business this Summer

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Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only. Copyright@Biz2Credit 2016Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only. Copyright@Biz2Credit 2016

Marketing and Managing Your Small Business This Summerwith Anita Campbell, CEO, Small Business Trends

Rohit Arora, CEO, Biz2Credit Felice Mikelberg, Principal, FIM Communications

June 29, 20163 PM (ET)

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Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only. Copyright@Biz2Credit 2016

TODAY’S AGENDA

▪ Address seasonal challenges for small business owners ▪ Summer marketing ideas▪ Leveraging community involvement▪ Sales promotions▪ Redevelop social media strategy▪ Handling slower months▪ Managing seasonal cash flow▪ Find out how to get a small business loan

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Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only. Copyright@Biz2Credit 2016Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only.

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Copyright@Biz2Credit 2015

Anita CampbellFounder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends

Frequent guest speaker and panelist at small business seminarsWidely regarded as an authoritative voice on small business issues

Publisher of several successful online media properties reaching more than 6 million small biz owners each year

OpenForum.com and SBA.gov Community site contributor

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Rohit AroraCEO of Biz2Credit

One of America’s top experts in small business financeFrequently quoted on SMB topics in the media

Columnist for CNBC, Forbes, Inc., and the New York Daily NewsCrain’s New York “Business Entrepreneur of the Year” 2011

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Felice MikelbergPrincipal of FIM Communications

New Jersey-based marketing expert and editor with more than two decades of communications experience

Topics include a diverse range of marketing practices, such as small business operations, employee and customer engagement, and enhancing and building brands

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Seasonal Challenges ThatSmall Business Owners Face

▪ Managing Cash Flow▪ Balancing Quality and Growth▪ Increasing Profit and Revenues▪ Time Management▪ Handling Slow Months

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Small Biz Marketing Tips For Summer 2016

▪ Host a Networking Event▪ Redevelop Business Strategy▪ Launch New Promotions▪ Revamp Social Media Presence▪ Promote Customer Loyalty▪ Community Involvement▪ Update Your Branding Materials▪ Take a Vacation

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Offer summer themed promotionsTake advantage of opportunities presented by the calendar and the weather

■ Ladies Night Out

■ Fourth of July events

■ National Ice Cream Day (July 17)

■ College Freshman Moving In Day

■ Labor Day

Summer Promotions

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Host a Networking Event

▪ Consider the benefits of hosting an eventCreate more leadsDirect referralsBuild professional connections

▪ Decide on a locationHow many people will you invite/expect?Visit and ask questions before committing to a venue

▪ Publicize Your Agenda▪ Promote Your Business

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Increase Community Involvement

▪ Be mindful of what is going on in the community Supporting businesses and building relationships with the

community fosters a positive cultureIf there has been a natural or economic disasters, find out how you can help

▪ Develop a volunteer plan▪ Make sure it is a true company effort

Employees and management should all be on the same page

▪ Highlight your community involvement on various channels

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Small Biz Marketing Tips for Summer 2016

▪ Utilize social media and traditional media Instagram: All AgesSnapChat: Tweens and TeensLinkedIn: Adults 21+Facebook: Adults 25+Twitter: All agesYouTube: All ages

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Revamp Social Media Strategy

▪ Most people use social media for personal use, but some businesses aren’t capitalizing on it

If you aren’t using it, chances are your competition is

▪ Benefits of social media marketingBetter brand recognitionIncreased customer loyaltyImproved customer experiences

▪ An increasingly popular form of communication in today’s business

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Social Media Marketing

▪ Feature a product of the week on your company’s social media channels

▪ Post pictures of your best selling products on your business’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages; tie into a summer theme

▪ Utilize summer-specific hashtags on social media (#summermusts, #funforsummer)

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Social Media Marketing

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Sales Promotions

▪ Develop a customer loyalty program▪ Provide incentives to customers who tag your

company on social media▪ Offer discounts on new products and multiple

purchases of goods or services▪ Offer a “Bring a friend” discount or prize

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Back-burner projects

▪ If your company is slow in the summer, use the time to upgrade your website and your social media efforts

▪ Register your business on online directories and begin writing blog posts to help boost SEO

▪ Gather online reviews and develop testimonials▪ Create a strategic marketing plan

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Redevelop Business Strategy

▪ Is your business plan accurate?Has your product/service changed?Are there new competitors in the market?Have you changed your organizational structure?■ If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you need to modify

your business plan▪ Has your company mission/vision changed?

Now is a good time to assess what matters most to you and your company.If your mission/vision statements are dated, it needs to be reflected

▪ Sales forecastingHave you conducted a best/worst case scenario analysis?Preparing for future sales numbers during slow months is a good time

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Managing Seasonal Cash Flow and Finances

▪ Create a basic financial reporting structureQuickBooksHire an Accounting Consultant

▪ Create a forecast of all important financial dataRevenuesExpensesAccounts Receivable

▪ Investigate financial optionsLines of CreditCredit CardLoansEquity Investors

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How quickly does Biz2Credit arrange financing?

▪ With the appropriate financial information from clients, funding can be secured in as little as 24 hours – depending on the lender and type of loan product

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What types of loans does Biz2Credit arrange?

▪ Biz2Credit can arrange SBA loans, traditional bank loans Working capitalBusiness lines of creditEquipment financing Business acquisition loansCommercial real estate loans Refinancing Merchant cash advances

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Who is lending?

▪ Loan Approval Rates by Lender Category:Big banks ($10 billion+ in assets) approved 23.2% of loan applications in May, an all-time high

Small banks approved 48.7% of loan applications in May

Institutional Investors approved 62.8% of loan requests in May

Alternative lenders approved 60% of loan requests in May

Credit unions 41.7% in May, an all-time low

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How much money can Biz2Credit secure?

▪ Biz2Credit can arrange funding for amounts between $5,000 to $5,000,000

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Customer Testimonials

NAME: Maria Roussos, Beach Treats Food Truck

LOCATION: Pike’s Beach in Westhampton, NY

Biz2Credit connected her with microlender Accion to get her financing needed to make repairs to her food truck

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Final Word: Refresh

▪ Reduce stressUnplug from business operationsSet rules and stick to them

▪ Refresh creativityIncrease productivity upon returningSometimes all it takes to rejuvenate yourself is a week out of the office

▪ Prepare and train your employeesYour business does not go on vacation!

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Disclaimer: This presentation is for internal purpose only. Copyright@Biz2Credit 2016Copyright@Biz2Credit 2015

Q&A and Call to Action

Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO [email protected] Campbell, Founder & CEO of Small Biz Trends [email protected] Mikelberg, Principal of FIM Communications [email protected]

Thank you for joining us!

Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Marketing and Managing your Small Business this Summer